Arne Næss
Background =Arne Næss was born in Slemdal Norway, near Oslo. Næss grew up to attend the University of Oslo. After earning his degree in 1933, Næss ventured to Paris and Vienna where he became part of the philosophical school Vienna Circle. Upon completing his dissertation in Germany, he was offer a professor’s position at his home university. He accepted and became the youngest professor at the university at the age of 27, and he was the only professor of philosophy in the country at the time. He continued on teach at the university until he retired in the year of 1969. During this time, 1958 exactly, he started the philosophical journal Inquiry. He also published several publications, such as Gandhi and the Nuclear Age and “Interpretation and Preciseness”, and went on to publish over thirty books as well as numerous essays and articles.= =In 1969 he left the university to actively pursue his ecological ideas and personal philosophy. Perhaps his most well-known idea was that of ecosophy T, the influential principle for the ideals of deep philosophy. In 1988 he became the first of Greenpeace Norway when it was established, and he was a Green party candidate. In January of 2009, Næss Næss passed away. Throughout his life many things influenced him, but perhaps nothing more than the grandeur of nature, often experienced first handed while mountaineering, Guandi, and the personal passion that everyone should develop their own philosophy. = Ecosophy T Deep ecology started as the principle of ecosophy, coming from the merger of “ecology” with “philosophy”, T, which originated from the word Tvergastein. Tvergastein was the name of the cabin he built in Southern Norway in 1937 and was the place where much of his philosophy was theorized. Ecosophy T was originally a personal philosophy that Næss developed. Admirer of Gandhi and Rachael Carson’s “Silent Spring”, he brought together these ideals with many of his personal experiences to develop his philosophy. First, Næss believed that personal philosophy should not be developed purely through self-analysis. Næss traveled to many different countries and studied many of the cultures that lived in these countries. This was in an attempt to make philosophy “world philosophy”, not one that merely revolved around one’s own cultures, norms, and understanding. Second, Næss believed in non-violence. This was deeply rooted in the fact that Næss despised hurting anything, even the smallest insect, and Gandhi was a large contributor to his ideals. Næss, as Gandhi had before him, believed in non-violent protesting and attempted to understand everyone’s understanding, a prime example is Næss’s treatment of the “traitors” of the German occupation of Norway, as the best way to expand personal understanding. These values evolved into deep ecology and its principles, which then appealed to many other environmentalists. Deep Ecology =Deep ecology not only acknowledges that effect of people on the environment, but also the effect of technology and economic growth. The principles of deep ecology can be summarized, more or less in eight points:= =1. All life on Earth possesses intrinsic value aside from instrumental value. 2. The biological richness and diversity of life of all sorts on Earth attributes to the intrinsic values that all life forms hold in themselves and thus are values in themselves. 3. The only sole reason humans may reduce the richness and diversity is to fulfill fundamental human needs. 4. In order to truly flourish, the human population must decrease; which, in turn, will lead to the flourishing of nonhuman life forms. 5. At current, humans have interfered and are interfering too much in the natural world. This is only worsening without limiting actions being taken. 6. Therefore, the policies of today’s society must be changed. This would affect technological, ideological, and some basic economic structures, resulting in a feasibly entirely distinct state of affairs than the present. = =7. Simply, change in ideas strives to emphasis the appreciation of life quality rather than increasing higher standard of living. 8. Those who acknowledge such points to be true have an obligation to apply changes wherever necessary.= Summarized, these points essentially mean that humans have no right to impose dominance over the natural environment unless it is vital for human survival. Rather, nature should be viewed with a “do not disturb” policy. The only way this is possible is to reduce the population, thus reducing human-environment interaction, in order prevent unnecessary destruction of the environment; Næss estimated this population to be approximately 100 million. Obviously, this would dramatically affect today’s society and the way it lives. However, Næss argued, this was a necessary step that would perhaps be realized as the world faced over population in the 21st and 22nd century, the 23rd century would likely be the time when the population would be controlled, technology would be noninvasive, and the children would again grow up in the splendor of nature. 'Sources' . http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/15/obituary-arne-naess http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/world/europe/15naess.html?_r=1 Arne Naess portrait: http://www.cycle-of-life.net/div_case3-witoszek.html Tvergastein Cabin: http://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/6/rothenberg.php Drengson, Alan. "Ecophilosophy, the Deep Ecology Movement and Ecosophy." Ecospherics Ethics. Ecocentrism, 1999. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. Bailey, Ronald. "Under The Spell Of Malthus." Reason 37.4 (2005): 67-71. EBSCO MegaFILE. Web. 11 Mar. 2012.